Cornell University Commencement

Recognition Event for January 2013 Graduates
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Barton Hall

The tenth annual Recognition Event and Reception for all January 2013 graduates is being planned. This is a special event enjoyed by students and families. There is no limit to the number of guests who may attend and there are no tickets. However, for event planning purposes, students who plan to attend must RSVP (see below).

Checklist - Student To-Do List

Students planning to attend must do the following:

1. ORDER cap & gown by 11/15 ($10 late fee after 11/15).
2. RSVP by 12/13 if planning to attend Recognition Event.
3. RSVP for college event, if applicable.
4. Follow any other instructions from department, college, Bursar, University Registrar, Housing Office, etc.

Click here for a printable CHECKLIST for students and families.

RSVP to attend Recognition Event

The RSVP database is now closed. Students who did not RSVP to attend, but wish to participate, may still do so. Please arrive at Barton Hall 9:00-9:15am on Saturday, December 15th, to register at your college table and assemble for the procession. There is no limit to the number of guests who may attend, and there are no tickets for this event.

Event Schedule - December 15, 2012

• 9:00am - Guests may begin arriving at Barton Hall
• 9:00-9:30am - Students register & assemble in Barton Hall
• 10:00-11:15am - Recognition Event in Barton Hall
• 11:15am-Noon - Coffee Reception in Barton Hall

College Events - prior to Recognition Event

Your college dean, faculty and staff look forward to seeing you at the Recognition Event in Barton Hall. The following colleges offer additional celebratory events for their students and families to attend. Please RSVP accordingly.

Human Ecology
Friday, 12/14, 3:00-4:30pm
Reception to Honor January Graduates
Human Ecology Commons
For undergraduate & graduate students
No tickets required. No limit to number of guests.
In the event of inclement weather, check www.human.cornell.edu for possible cancellation of this event.
RSVP by Monday, 12/10: hereg@cornell.edu or 607-255-2235 (total attending).

Industrial and Labor Relations
Friday, 12/14, 3:30-4:30pm
Informal Reception for Graduates and Families
ILR Conference Center, Room 423
For undergraduate & graduate students
RSVP by Monday, 12/10: email or call Lorie Anderson at 607-255-2223.

Agriculture and Life Sciences
Saturday, 12/15, 7:30-9:00am
Continental Breakfast for Graduates & Families
Statler Hotel, Terrace Restaurant
For undergraduate & graduate students
(Update: Tickets are NOT required.)
RSVP by noon Monday, 12/10: RSVP online

Hotel Administration
Saturday, 12/15, 8:00-9:00am
Celebratory Breakfast with the Deans - for Graduates & Families
Statler Hotel, Ballroom, 2nd Floor
For undergraduate & graduate students
RSVP: Students MUST RSVP by noon Friday, 12/7 to Kathy Mix or call 607-255-6376.

Accommodations

The on-campus Statler Hotel is available for the December event. Rising from the center of this Ivy League campus, the Statler Hotel is centrally located to events and provides on-site parking for guests. Taverna Banfi, the Statler's signature Tuscan Italian restaurant, is also available for lunch and dinner on Saturday. Please call the hotel at 800-541-2501 or email statler_reserve@cornell.edu to reserve your guest room or dinner reservation. view flyer

Since many people and students are traveling away from Ithaca this time of year, we do not anticipate housing problems. You may find information about the availability of local hotels and bed & breakfasts by visiting Ithaca's Visitor Bureau website at http://www.visitithaca.com and the University's new Travel Portal.

Announcements

Customized announcements may be ordered online at http://shop.jostens.com or by calling 800-854-7464.
view product flyer

Cap, Gown and Tassel

Wearing cap & gown is both traditional and required for students participating in the Recognition Event. Students order their cap & gown from our supplier, Herff Jones. These are rental items, so students must return their cap & gown (but keep their tassel) in Barton Hall immediately following the event.

Order Cap & Gown (rent)
Pick Up Cap & Gown
Return Cap & Gown
Purchase PhD Regalia to Own (optional)
Faculty: go to faculty page

Order

The November 15 deadline to order online has now passed. Students who did not pre-order online will be fitted with a cap and gown at the pick-up location. Students do not need to notify the Commencement Office or the cap & gown company that they have missed the deadline. Simply go to the pick-up location (see below), stand in the "walk-in orders" line, and pay CASH for the rental fee PLUS $10 CASH for the late fee.

Rental Fee

• Undergrad: no charge *
• Master: $17.75 + tax *
• PhD/Doctorate: $63.45 + tax *
*Add $10 cash late fee for walk-in orders.

Order Confirmation:
Since orders are placed with Herff Jones, not with Cornell University, the Commencement Office is not able to confirm or track orders. Herff Jones provides an order confirmation to students when they place their order.

Pick Up
Instructions for pre-orders and walk-in orders:

• Dates: December 13 (Thurs) or December 14 (Fri)
• Times: 10:00am-5:00pm each day
• Location: Teagle Hall, Multi-Purpose Room
• Cost: See above (add $10 cash for walk-in orders)

If you cannot pick up your cap & gown by 5:00pm on Friday, please know that it will be at Barton Hall for you to get on Saturday morning, starting at 8:45am.

• Date: December 15 (Sat)
• Time: Starting at 8:45am. If you must wait until Saturday, please plan to arrive at Barton Hall between 8:45-9:15am to allow time to receive your outfit, get dressed, and line up in time for the procession.
• Location: Barton Hall (enter from Garden Ave and look for Student Pickup Area to the right) 8:45am-9:45am
• Cost: See above (add $10 cash for walk-in orders)

Return
Students MUST return cap & gown, but tassel is yours to keep.

• When: Immediately following the reception
• Where: Barton Hall (look for signs)

Tassel
Each cap & gown order will include a free tassel. The tassel color represents one's college within the University. Although borrowed caps & gowns must be returned, the tassel is yours to keep. (Exception: The sewn-in tassel on the PhD tams cannot be removed.) When placing a cap & gown order, there is an option to order a souvenir red & white Cornell tassel for $6. The souvenir tassel is available to undergraduate and graduate students.

Hood
A hood is included with PhD and Master degree regalia. The hood color represents one's degree.

Gown
The gown style represents one's degree.

*PhD Candidates Wishing to Purchase Regalia to Keep
PhD degree candidates and faculty wishing to purchase cap, gown, and/or hood may do so August 1, 2012 until November 1, 2012 at: http://academicregalia.herffjones.com/School/index. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

Ceremony Instructions

Arrival
Students must arrive in Barton Hall between 9:00-9:30am to register and assemble for the procession, wearing cap & gown. Students should enter Barton Hall from Garden Avenue (Teagle Hall side of Barton) and follow the signs to the area by the red curtain that is across the middle of the room.

Registration
Undergraduate students will go to the registration table by their undergraduate college sign. Graduate students will go to the registration tables by the "Grad-PhD" and "Grad-MS" signs, not with undergraduate colleges. All degree candidates will be given a card with their name and contact information when they go to the appropriate registration table. Students MUST carry the card during the procession and to their seat. These are used to read the student's name during the ceremony. Ushers will collect students' cards as soon as students are seated.

Procession
Students will line up two-across within their college, but not alphabetically. Ushers in red jackets will instruct students to line up in the appropriate locations before, during, and after the ceremony.

Ceremony
During the ceremony, each college will be asked to stand and approach the stage. Readers from each college will read the students' names from the cards, as they cross the stage. Each student will walk across the stage to shake hands with their college dean and the university president. PhD candidates will be hooded by the dean of the Graduate School.

Reception
After the ceremony, students, family members, and guests may enjoy the reception. Congratulations!

Commencement - May 2013

January graduates will also be invited to participate in the May 2013 Commencement Ceremony. Graduates may choose to attend the December event, the May ceremony, or both. Information and severe weather tickets for the May ceremony will be mailed to families in January.

Whether a student attends the December event or not, he/she will automatically be on the mailing list to receive information about the May 2013 Commencement ceremony & weekend events. Students do not need to request being put on a mailing list or let the Commencement Office know they plan to attend in May.

Diplomas & Rings

The degree conferral (diploma) date for January graduates is January 28, 2013.

Diplomas are not distributed at the December Recognition Event. Diplomas will be sent by the Office of the University Registrar in late March to the home address listed in www.studentcenter.cornell.edu.

The Cornell Store - open 12-5pm on Saturday, December 15

• Diploma Frame Sale!
  The Cornell Store's Semi-Annual Customer Appreciation Sale is November 5-9. Receive 25% off almost everything* in-store and online (*some exclusions apply, see store for details).
• Cornell Ring Event!
  Balfour will be in the store Thursday & Friday, November 8-9, from 10am-4pm. Balfour will be in the store on Saturday, December 15, from 12-4pm, so families can come to the store after the Recognition Event.

Information Packet

Undergraduate Families: The Commencement Office mails an information packet to families in late October, using the home/permanent address students provide in www.studentcenter.cornell.edu.

Undergraduate Students: Undergraduate degree candidates receive information/instructions via email in late October from the Commencement Office.

Graduate Students: PhD & Master candidates receive information/instructions via email in late October from the Graduate School and/or Graduate Field Assistants.

Mobility Impaired Guests Parking & Seating

Guests who cannot maneuver the stairs into Barton Hall from the Statler side are encouraged to enter from the Garden Avenue side of Barton Hall. Vehicles may temporarily stop on that side of the building to let mobility impaired guests out for easy access to the building. The driver will then need to go park the vehicle at one of the suggested parking areas noted below.

Guests with wheelchairs and walkers will be able to sit with other family members (in chairs with back support) without requiring a special pass or seating location. As a courtesy, ushers will be inside Barton Hall (at Garden Avenue entrance) with wheelchairs to transport guests to the seating area, if needed.

Parking

When parking on campus, please use the Parking Garage, the Crescent lot behind Schoellkopf Stadium, the C parking lot along Campus Road, or parking spaces along Tower Road and Garden Avenue. There is no charge for parking on campus on Saturday. Campus Map

Photographs

Photographs will be taken of the student while on stage. Students will receive an email the following week to view and/or purchase photos. For photo questions, please call University Photography at 607-255-2607.

Reception Details

A reception will immediately follow the Recognition Event in the same building, Barton Hall. Light refreshments (coffee and pastries) will be served. All students and guests are invited. Please plan to stay and enjoy the reception.

Tickets

There are no tickets required for this event, as there are plenty of seats for everyone. However, we do ask students to RSVP online by December 13th to help with our planning.

Webcast and Video

A webcast of the Recognition Event for January 2013 Graduates will be broadcast online at http://www.cornell.edu/video/?videoid=2548 at 10:00am the day of the event. The broadcast will remain online for later viewing. Video of this event is not available for purchase.

Weather Plan

Wondering if Ithaca weather conditions are affecting the event? If the University is open, then the event will go on as scheduled. If the University closes (due to winter weather, for example), then the Recognition Event will be cancelled. It will not be rescheduled. Diploma distribution will not be affected, as diplomas are not distributed at this event. Students may still return for their official Commencement Ceremony in May.
Click here to check the University operating status.